African American Women In Media, In America

African American women in the news business is scarce but essential. African American women need to represented as reporters or anchors or producers and even news director or manager. Either way it goes there are that many black women working for the media. Media tells what is going in their community, state and/or America but the media isn't represented in the best ways it can be. Women are getting seen more as reporters and anchors but African American women are still lagging behind. African American people in general are not being seen as much as they should be and not in a negative way, for example black men always in trouble with the law. A classmate in my online journalism class did a project over African American hair. I found her project quite interesting because I am an African American and so I knew what see was talking about on a person basis. She was saying how women especially have to have their hair a certain way to "go along with the norm". Black women needs to stick with thaone particular hair still, straight, not nappy or fro out. To put braids in their hair most likely wouldn't would be acceptable. To have their hair natural is pushing the button. Black women and men have to look the norm in order to have some success whether in the news market or in anything else where their looks are important. The same message wouldn't be heard if a black woman has her hair natural instead of by a black woman with straight hair. We need to evolve with time.

Spike Lee's Movie

The movie shown on Friday Nov. 16,2007, was an interesting movie to watch. I was offened by the movie because it showed how some people look at black people in a negative way. It had some funny parts, that wasn't very haha funny but I guess funny inner person humor sort of speak. I have never seen Bamboozled but I reall y want to watch the whole movie because although offensive it was very interesting. Spike Lee really showed me how people still after slavery and civil war, that people still act a certain way and think a certain way. Are we going to change or keep repeating past opinions and actions and thoughts. I guess history really does repeat itself.

Reporting disabilities-posted Sept. 21

The Guidelines for news reporting and disabilities I think aren't as big of a deal now becasue I hardly ever see or read a reportes story and use terms such as mentally ill or disable in their stories unless it relavent to the story. Honestly I really haven't been paying that much attention with the disability and news reporting. But like I said unless that's what the story is about and it seems relavent to the story then I really don't see reporters using the actual terms.
September 21, 2007 2:38 PM

Civil rights-posted Sept. 21

I think the reporting on the Jena 6 story was good but I would have like to see the other side of the situation. I mean how does the white community feel since the town is predominately white, where are their voices. I did see a story where a reporter talked to the guy that got beat up parents but I want to here form him also since he was the victim. Also I think the Jena 6 should have gotten more coverage than it did. The media covered O.J. Simpson it seems more than Jena 6 and so it makes it seem that celebrities are more important than racial issues still showing up in the year 2007. I don't think so. There is still racial discrimination existing and not just in Jena, Louisiana but all across the United States. We need to know more about these issues and be informed of not just some but all and in great detail, like if the story was about a celebrity.
September 21, 2007 2:44 PM

Latino images-posted Oct. 4

Latino images should be shown and talked about and not just in a negative way. Minorities have been shown as bad images and stereotypes. I believe that blacks, latinos, and whites as well as all the other races/ethnicities should be shown equally with the good, the bad and the ugly. War is not the most pleasant images but more images should be shown of everything that happens that people need to know about and see.
October 4, 2007 2:23 PM

Axe & sexualizing women-posted Oct. 19

I believe that the axe ad was very sexual and that the women were used as sex objects in order to sell the product. Why can't advertisers use people as regular and normal people instead of a some sexual being that can only get the audience attention by selling herself to the public. I am sure there are other ways to get your point across and not always use your body as a way to get people to notice you. And it is always the same type of body (small, skinny) and not the (big, fat) type. Who determines what is beautiful and what isn't? I guess the public because the ads are grabbing our attention whether it is a good thing or not.
October 19, 2007 10:09 AM

Is Black back? -posted Oct 12

The questions of "Is Black Back" i believe is incorrect to the point of that the word black used as a race or color never really go away. i hear from most of the black race that they call themselves black instead of African American. There are those who considered themselves to be African American but others that i have heard said that they aren't from Africa and don't want to be reered as being an African American but instead be considered as black. I think it is just the preference of how people want to be called. But whether you are black or African American doesn't matter how you claim your self to be, in the end it's all the same. T. Lewis

Journalist confession-posted earlier

I believe that the journalist confession was not really a confession of being wrong simply because she made an excuse for maybe being wrong and not fully admitting her mistake. Everybody makes mistakes but I guess as a journalist she is not suppose to make mistakes because they are all about truth and telling the truth. She made it seem that every murder story has the same m.o. but they don't and she was trying to covered up her mistake by acknowledging the woman's lifestyle and how she was a victim even before she was murder, in some sense. Like I said everybody makes a mistake, but acknowledging your mistake and not trying to make an excuse for you being wrong is too hard for "real journalist."T. Lewis

Asian Stereotypes in Hollywood

There is a stereotype of Asians especially asian men in Hollywood. They are typecast as the character who does martial arts and can kick your butt easy. But is that all Asians are good for? I hardly ever see Jet Li or Jackie Chan play a role that doesn't require them to beat someone up whether it was for good or evil. I don;t ever see them play a romantic role in that they fall in love and get married and what not but they are always fighting somebody. I mean don't get me wrong I love watching Jet Li fight someone but I also would like to see him in a different light. I would like to see an Asian man or woman to play roles similar to Morgan Freeman or Denzel Washington. I mean it doesn't have to be their particular roles but something similar where they aren't just fighting someone.

Religion and Politics

Today in one of my political science class we talked about the separation of church and state. It ended up being an interesting discussion on whether of not ministers should be in office and prayer in school. What I found compelling is that there are so many views and/or opinions about religion that it's mind blowing. There were students who says that people should be allowed to pray or practice their religion anywhere they please including school. Others say that you can pray but privately because you go to school to get an education, not talk about religion or pray. I think that it goes both ways. Anyone can pray prviately but poeple don't want to get offended by someone else's religion or beliefs but we should respect each other but it doesn't mean that we hhave to agree with it. I don't know??? Is it expressing yourself or expressing yourself to others who might not agree with you??? That is the question!

Video vixens

In Music Videos, there are almost always women dancing and shaking their butt. Some women will do anything just to be put in a music video. They will do anything for that five seconds of fame. I understand that it's their decision to put themselves in that position but what I don't understand why they complain about how they are being disrepected and feel degraded. Not all music videos have women half naked and shaking what they mama gave them, but most are like that, especially "hip hop" videos. I don't mind watching hip hop videos. I like watching BET because I like to listen to the music. Not to pay attention to the girls.

Ads of women

In all the magazines in the world, pretty much all of them show women in a sexual way. Is that all women are worth? Can women not have brains as well as a body? Do women represent just a body to stare at? It's funny how we (the world) view each sex and that men are the strong, superior human and women are tthe less superior and has a fragil body. It doesn't matter what the product the advertisers are selling, a sexual visual statement/action will be shown by women and that is how they are going to convince people to buy the product. It kind of like saying, Hey if you buy this product then there is a chance you can have a woman or be lke this woman one day. It just amazes me to see how the world views other human beings and believe that that's all they are worth, to be dreamed about and drool over, like a dog in heat.